Lost in Memories
by Aria Evans
Summary: "No, you don't love him. You never did. It was just false feelings lead on by the trauma we experienced. Leon was never interested in you either. Get over it already."
1. Chapter 1: Reunion

**__Disclaimer: I do not own Resident Evil. Obviously. Author's note: This is my first time actually writing any kind of fan fiction. I hope you guys like it! =3**

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**Two weeks after Chris returned from Kijuju**

Chris. Oh how Claire loved her brother. He knew just what to say to calm her down when she needed a shoulder to cry on, but at this particular moment, she wanted to kill him. Claire, with the help of most of the Umbrella survivors, had planned a "welcome home, Jill" party. It was also a chance to introduce their newest survivor, Sheva Alomar. Of course, today was the day for said party and guess who wasn't even up? Chris. Oh how Claire loved her brother.

"Chris, if I have to tell you one more time to get up, I'm going to come up there and kick your ass!" Claire yelled up the stairs of her brother's house. She was tired from all the party preparation. Why did Chris get to sleep in when she didn't? Well, she would let him off easy just this once since he had literally worked himself to death when Jill went M.I.A. Now that she was back, all those years of overworking himself had finally caught up to him. She heard him clomping around upstairs, so she decided to get back to what she was doing.

_**Let's see**_, She thought to herself.**_ I still have to make sure Chris gets ready on time, then go pick up the cake._** Like he had read her mind, Chris came down the stairs all dressed up and ready to go.

"That was fast. I was worried that I would have to go up there. I was secretly hoping you wouldn't get up so I could pour ice cold water on you," Claire smirked.

"Not this time Clairebear. I learned my lesson." Chris made a face at the memory of the last time he didn't wake up when she told him to. "So what's left to do?"

"You still have to go pick up Jill. Sheva said she would meet us there. Oh, and Chris?" Claire looked at her brother with pleading eyes. "Promise me you won't get lost or something. If you're late, that means Jill will be late, and if Jill's late, well, let's just say your manhood is on the line."

Chris's face went flush as he thought about what would happen to him. He would much rather fight off a hoard of flesh eating zombies than deal with the wrath of his sister. "Y..yea, I got it,"

Claire smiled. "Good. Now that you understand, I have a cake to go pick up. Make sure your there at 6 o'clock sharp." Claire had one last look at her brother to make sure she stressed the importance of being on time, then grabbed her keys and headed to the bakery.

In the car, Claire couldn't sit still. She kept remembering the nightmare she had had last night. She knew seeing the familiar faces of all her friends would only bring back the memories that she had been trying to escape for so long. She hated being so weak. Raccoon City still haunted her everyday. It was a tough life, but she had kicked some major ass along the way. She was mentally congratulating herself when she pulled up to the bakery. Just so she could relax for a moment, she sat inside her car, letting the smell of her vanilla and spice air freshener set her at ease. Without warning, she was violently taken out of her moment of peace when someone knocked on her window. She rolled it down and raised an eyebrow.

"Hey Claire!" Barry smiled at her and waved. She continued to look at him in confusion. Barry noticed her confused look and sort of stared away from her gaze. "This bakery offers lessons on baking and icing and stuff. I come here sometimes. It calms me, you know? It takes my mind off the past." Claire didn't judge. She wished she had something to take her mind off of her memories.

"That's great Barry. It's good to see you again. Are you coming to the party later?" Claire had run into some unexpected problems in trying to contact Barry and tell him. She had wondered if he had got her message.

"I am actually. Can't wait to see everybody. It's been awhile." His eyes looked distant.

"That it has Barry. That it has."

* * *

Claire was starting to get worried. **_Come on Chris. Where are you?_** The clock read 5:45. So far most of everyone was here, including Sheva who thought she would be late due to a flat tire. She had brought along a good friend of hers named Josh. They were both talking to Rebecca and Billy about God knows what.

"Hey, they'll be here." Claire turned around to see Kai, the brown hair, blue eye bruiser she worked with at Terra Save. She smiled at her date as he handed her a drink.

"Yea, I know. My brother's not the type to let me down. When he says he's going to do something, only his death could stop him."

Kai nodded. He had met Chris before and knew he wasn't a force to be reckoned with. "Hey Claire?"

"Yea?"

"Umm. I've been meaning to tell you, you look gorgeous." Kai eyed her and shook his head in approval.

Claire blushed. "Oh, this is nothing. I didn't really take much time in getting ready, and this dress has just been sitting in my closet." She lied. Her dress was newly bought and it had taken her at least half the day to look this stunning.

"You look great too. I always liked a man in a tux." She decided sense he had complemented her, she would do likewise. She walked up to him and tightened his tie. "There. Perfect." His face went red. Her brain kicked into motion and she suddenly noticed how close they were. They both looked into each other's eyes, until Chris busted through the door at 6 o'clock sharp.

He had a stupid smug look on his face as he scanned the crowd for his sister. When he found her, the look vanished.

"You! Over there, with my sister!" Chris had a crazy look on his face as he started charging toward them. "Stop all this funny business. Don't think for one minute that just because she asked you here as a date that she's gonna let you into her pants!" Claire froze. She had a look of utter horror and anger all twisted on her face. **_What the fuck is he thinking?_ **Chris was in a rage and had everyone's attention. Claire decided to duck out and head to the bathroom before her brother could embarrass her further. Once inside the safety of a stall, she let herself cool off.

"Chris, how could you be so insensitive? Why did you have to blow up in his face like that? You know I wanted to move on and get over..." Her rant trailed off. She couldn't say his name without a tear coming to her eye. They had met so long ago, been through hell together, and brought back together by fates hand. She had thought she loved him. She always tried to convince herself otherwise. "No, you don't love him. You never did. It was just false feelings lead on by the trauma we experienced. Leon was never interested in you either. Get over it already." She sighed and opened the stall. Deciding to waste just a couple more minutes for good measure, she reapplied her make-up and checked her hair. "Ok. Now I have to brave the storm," She said, wishing she could just disappear.

Much to her surprise, everything seemed to have calmed down. Her date was having a conversation with Jill, and Chris was introducing Sheva to Barry. Everything seemed peaceful, until she saw him. Leon. He looked absolutely stunning in his dark grey tux. His clear grey eyes seemed to sparkle when he laughed, which caused Claire's heart to skip a beat. She quickly shook off the feeling when she saw Angela standing next to him, looking radiant in her hot pink, floor length dress. She was showing enough cleavage for every guy in the room to take notice, including Chris. The image made Claire gag. She quickly turned away from them and headed over to the food table to get another drink. She heard someone come up behind her, but choose to ignore them.

"Long time, no see partner."

**_Oh__ shit._**


	2. Chapter 2: Starlight

**Author's note: I'm going to try to update every other day. Can't promise anything, but I did say I would try.**

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She just couldn't get a break today, could she? This was just her luck. She was now standing face to face with the man she was planning to avoid all night. Instead she was going to have to talk to him, no matter how much it hurt her.

"It has been awhile, hasn't it?" Leon smiled just slightly and raised his eyebrow.

"Yea, it has. I haven't heard from you since Harvardville." It was a fact that she was painfully aware of. They both stood there for a moment, thinking back on the events. The only thing that Claire cared to remember was how Leon and Angela were stuck up each other's asses. Leon eventually broke the silence.

"So, how have you been? Had anything interesting happen since I was gone?"

"Other than all the _interesting _paperwork I've been doing, no, not really. How about you?" Claire turned and eyed Angela. "Anything interesting?" Leon followed her stare. He let out a light laugh.

"No Claire, you got it wrong. I'm not with Angela." Claire tilted her head and let out a 'mmm hmm?' He looked at her, a little surprised. "Really, I'm not. I just invited her as a friend."

"Does she know that?" venom laced her voice. Leon looked at her, confused.

"Yea, actually she does. Why? You jealous?" He smirked at her. She looked away from him to hide her hurt expression. **_So what if I am? _**

There was a commotion coming from across the room. Claire looked past Leon to see her date being lifted off the ground by Chris.

"First you wanna get in my sister's bed, then you try for Jill's? Oh, hell no!" At this point, Claire wasn't even going to bother. She would make sure her brother pay dearly for his behavior tonight. Much to her surprise, Leon busted out laughing.

"So that's you date? Poor guy. He never stood a chance with you because of Chris." Leon continued to laugh like it was the funniest thing to have ever happened in his life. Claire shrugged it off.

"Why does it matter to you. You jealous?" She teased him. Leon looked at her with a goofy smile.

"No. What's there to be jealous of?" His words stung her. Her head was spinning and what she needed was to get outside for some fresh air before she went crazy and decided to kill everyone. She turned and quickly walked to the front door. Leon was right behind her.

"Claire? Hey, are you alright?" He had a worried look on his face.

"Oh, yea. I'm just peachy," Her voice was thick with sarcasm. It was hard for her to think at this second. Her head was spinning too fast. She opened the door and almost tripped over her own feet. She felt Leon's hands catch her.

"It's ok. I got you. Here, let's just sit you down."

"I'm not a baby. Don't treat me like one." Claire just didn't want him to touch her. It made her feel like she was going to die instead of just pass out.

"Your not? Your sort of acting like one." Leon's face was serious, until he cracked a smile. He lost his self control and burst out laughing. Claire pushed him away and sat down on one of the front steps. The moon was hidden behind the clouds. Their only source of light was from the stars, which cast irregular shadows over their surroundings. She hated nights like this. She always felt like she was being watched by something that would eat her face off. She shuddered. Leon sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulder. Her face felt like fire as she buried her head in his arm.

"I'm sorry, Claire. I didn't mean to upset you. I would never want to hurt you, believe me. Your very important to me. I..." He trailed off and looked away. Suddenly, he def lifted her face to his and kissed her. Her eyes flew open in disbelief. **_What the_ _fuck? _**She tried to break free of his grasp, but he held her there. Finally, he let go and looked into her eyes. "You mean alot to me Claire. I hope I can prove that to you someday." He winked at her. Neither her brain, nor her mouth seemed to be working. She wanted to tell him that she liked him, that she had in Raccoon City, in Harvardville, but nothing. There was silence, not the awkward kind, just silence.

"I... you can't do this to Angela. It's just wrong." Oh crap. Claire had gone into over load, and when that happens, she can't shut up. "You guys are here, TOGETHER. You can't do this to her. What if she would have seen? I would feel horrible. Leon, if you love her, you shouldn't be kissing other women. I don't wanna be that kind of girl. I just..." Leon kissed her again, this time with more passion.

He pulled her close and whispered in her ear. "Claire, I told you we're just friends. I don't love her. I can't, because she not you." His words didn't register in her mind. She was starting to get frustrated with herself. Why was it so hard for her to accept? She could tell he wasn't lying. Leon wasn't that type of guy. She just couldn't believe that after all this time, he had so clearly told her what she had always wished to hear.

"Leon," He cut her off with another kiss. This time, she accepted it. His hand caressed her face, while her hands messed with his hair. It was soft to the touch. As the night progressed on, so did their make-out session. Claire was right. There was something out there that wanted to eat her face off, just not in the way that she had imagined. After a certain point in the night, they had to stop. They could hear people inside looking for them, and if they continued on like this, neither one of them would be able to hold back. Leon helped Claire to her feet, and they both made their way inside.

"Leon, not you too! What's with everyone trying to get with my sis?" Chris said as they both walked through the door. Well, at least he wasn't yelling to where everyone could hear him. Chris came over to them and put an arm around Leon. He sort of carried him away, leaving Claire by herself. She scanned the room to see if anything had been destroyed in her absence. Much to her surprise, nothing had. Even more to her surprise was that Kai and Angela were in the corner being a little overly friendly. She was really confused. Right now she just wanted to go home and go to sleep.

"Fuck it." She fished her keys out of her purse and headed for home.


	3. Chapter 3: Nightmares

**Author's note: Sorry it took so long to update. Computer crashed and I was to busy to get it fixed. Forgive me!**

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Claire clamored around for her gun. Reaching behind her very slowly, she had it within her grasp. Unfortunately, being the klutz that she is, she dropped it, causing a loud thud to attract everyone (or thing) in the area. She quickly picked it up and dashed into a nearby building, closing and locking the door behind her.

Looking out the window, she could see them gathering. First only a few, then more and more until the street was full of them. Their eyes were glazed over. Most of them had blood coming from their mouth. Others were missing chunks of flesh, if not whole limbs. They all looked as if they were soulless. Just empty shells of what they once were. Familiar faces dotted the crowd. People whom Claire had once known. The sight of it all made her sick.

Quickly checking her new surroundings, she collapsed to the floor and gathered her thoughts. Finally, deciding she was good enough to move, she checked around the room for something useful. After about twenty minutes of looking and only finding a few rounds of handgun ammo, she sat down to plan out her next move.

**_Ok, I have to get out of here. I can't go out through the front. Those things will get me. If I go through the back, I have a chance of getting past them undetected._**

Claire slipped out the back door and dodged her way through back alleys and open buildings, looking for things she could use to defend herself. After many wrong turns and close calls, she decided to find a place to rest and refuel. Her stomach was growling so loud, it was starting to draw unwanted attention. She decided it was a good idea to carefully back track to a donuts shop she had passed earlier. **_Mmmmm. Donuts._**

After taking only a few steps toward her new destination, the sound of gunfire filled the air. From the sound of things, there were two people, and they were way out of their league. Claire was sort of over joyed to know she was not alone. She had been terrified to die here without anyone. Now all she needed to do was find them, but the problem was that the sound was echoing off the walls, making it impossible for her to pinpoint exactly which direction it was coming from.

**_The roof. I'll be able to spot them from the roof._**

Stumbling over herself, she managed to climb up the fire escape on one of the buildings. Slipping a couple of times, she finally reached the top and looked around to see if the coast is clear (just in case). She noticed something off to her right, a rifle with a scope. _How convenient. _She picked it up and lifted it to her eye. Scanning the street for the other survivors, she got a chance to see just how horrific everything was. Bodies ripped to shreds, lying there on the sidewalk. A sea of blood covered all visible surfaces, causing a wave of nausea to hit Claire's stomach again. She swallowed it down and spotted two figures running towards the street, followed by a hoard of "the undead". The figures came into view and Claire's heart stopped. **_Leon! Chris!_**

Just as the realization hit her, Leon stumbled over a broken phone wire, stalling him for just enough time for the undead to catch up to him.

_NO! _Claire aimed at the head of the closest zombie and squeezed the trigger. Its head exploded, causing the body to go limp and fall to the ground. Leon watched in confusion as the thing toppled over.

"MOVE! RUN!" Claire yelled at the top of her lungs. For the millisecond it took him to process what was going on, Claire had already taken down another zombie, causing the ones behind to trip over it. Leon dashed towards the direction Chris had gone in and was out of Claire's view within a matter of seconds. She watched as more and more of the undead filled the streets. Worried that if she didn't hurry she would be stuck there on the roof top with no way out; she climbed back down the fire escape and ran towards the alley Chris and Leon disappeared into. The moment she entered the alley she knew someone was there. A bullet went whizzing past her, hitting the concert inches away from where she was standing.

"Claire?" Chris's voice filled the air. He ran over to her and looked into her eyes. "Claire! I'm so glad your ok! I'm sorry, I thought you were one of those things!" He gave her a big hug, spinning her around.

"Yea, I'm fine. I'm glad to see you too. I thought you and Leon were done for. Speaking of Leon, where is he?" They both looked around. Claire was the first to spot him, and her heart dropped to the bottom of her stomach. "No. Not you." Leon came out of the shadows, eyes glazed over, with a bite mark on his neck. He lunged at them, emitting a horrible screeching noise. Chris threw himself in front of Claire, saving her from getting bitten. "NO!"

Chris fell to the ground; Leon tearing away at his flesh. Tears filled Claire's eyes as she watched to two most important people to her vanish. She pulled out her gun and aimed it at them. Leon got up and started advancing towards her, Chris not far behind. "Stop. Please stop. I.. I don't want to have to shoot." Words were pointless now and she knew that. They both grabbed her and were about to bite. "STOP IT!"

* * *

The doorbell woke her from her nightmare. She jolted up in the bed, covered in cold sweat. Her pillow was wet from where she had been crying in her sleep. She sighed heavily and slipped out of bed, quickly smoothing over her hair. The clock read seven thirty. **_It's way to damn_**_** early**._ She pulled on a pair of pants and went to answer the door. Almost falling down the stairs, due to her eyes refusing to open all the way, she opened the door and froze.

"Hey. Can I come in?" Of course it just had to be Leon, looking better than ever.

"Ummm. Sure." She moved out of the way to give him room to slip by. She was cursing herself in her mind for not taking even a couple of seconds to brush through her hair. "Sorry for the mess. You kinda caught me at a bad time."

"You just woke up didn't you?" He smiled at her.

"Yea. I did. So?" She wasn't in the best mood. Nightmares tended to do that to her.

"Oh, nothing I was just remembering you were just an unpleasant person in the early morning." He scoffed at her. She turned to walk away from him, but he grabbed her arm. "Claire." He whispered in her ear. "I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry. I know I've hurt you in the past.. I can't take that back. If I could I would in a heart beat! Please. I just want to talk." He looked at her with pleading eyes.

"Ok, fine. Talk." She said to him coldly.

"I just want things to be like they use to. When I had you by my side, no matter what. When you wouldn't get jealous of other girls, because you were mine, and when you wouldn't have to find some douchbag date cause you would have me." He drew her closer to him, staring into her eyes. She pushed him away.

"Leon, that was a long time ago."


	4. Chapter 4: A Visitor

**Several months after the Raccoon City incident:**

"Yes, yes. I'm fine. ... This is the fourth time you've called this week! Stop treating me like a kid! ... I know you're worried, but I said I was fine! ... Tell Jill I'll see her later. ... What? ... None of your business! Just boring girl stuff. ... Yea, love you too. Hey, Chris? Thanks, for everything. ... Ok, bye." Claire hung up the phone and sat there a minute, just staring at the wall. She felt like she was broken, just useless. Her life had been turned upside down within the last couple of months. She had met and lost some great people, which scarred her even now. All she could do was wallow in depression, even though she hated herself for it.

She could hear the usual noises of her apartment: her neighbors fighting, their children outside laughing and playing, things like that. To her though, it all sounded distant. Like someone had turned the volume down on a radio until it was nothing but a low buzz. She had tried to continue her life like normal, but she couldn't. She hadn't been able to pay attention in any of her college classes, and had to go on medical leave. All of her old friends seemed to treat her like she had the plague. The only people who had been there for her was her brother and Jill.

Suddenly, a loud knocking sound snapped her back to her senses, scaring her half to death in the process. She jumped up, took a deep breath, and opened the door. A friendly and familiar face greeted her.

"Leon, what a surprise!" Claire was shocked and overjoyed to see him.

"Long time, no see, partner." His voice set her at ease, which was something hard to come by.

Claire had so many questions to ask, but the only one to come out was,"Why are you here?" Leon shifted uncomfortably, switching his gaze from her to the ground.

"Well, it's complicated."

"How is it complicated? Wait. Did Chris send you here? I already told him I was fine, thanks." Claire went to close the door, in frustration, but Leon's foot stopped it.

"What does your brother have to do with this?" He looked at her innocently. "I was in town, so I thought I'd drop by."

Claire stared at him. "Well, how cliche of you." They both stood there for a moment, staring at each other.

"Are you going to make me stand here all day, or are you going to invite me in?" Leon's face was serious for all of give seconds, until a smile broke through his lips.

"You can stay out there. I don't allow animals in my apartment." In his confusion, Leon had moved his foot, giving Claire the chance to close the door in his face.

"Hey!" Leon banged on the door, demanding entrance.

"What's wrong, Kennedy? Can't take rejection well?" She mocked. He had calmed down, and was thinking over his reply.

"What rejection? I have you right where I want you, Redfield. Don't worry. I don't bite... hard." The light hearted mood was just the thing Claire had needed, what she had wanted. For the first time in months, she was able to really laugh.

"Hey, Leon! Thanks! I needed a good laugh." She stood with her ear to the door and waited. "Leon?"

"Yea, yea. I heard you. You can thank me with some lunch. I'm starving."

* * *

People were staring at them, whispering to one another. Most of what Claire could make out was stuff like, "He's really handsome." and "I wonder if their together." Leon didn't seem to notice his new found fans, as they stared at him when he sat down. He seemed to be focusing all his attention on Claire, which in turn, got her a few dirty looks.

"So, what exactly have you been up to since I last saw you?" Leon smirked at her question. Right before he had the chance to reply, Claire put her finger up to his lips. "No, wait. Let me guess. You've been traveling around the world, foiling evil master minds plots and seducing exotic women."

"Do I look like James Bond to you?" She laughed at his remark.

"You could pass as him. But seriously though, what have you been up to?" Leon bit his lip, not wanting to reveal to much to her.

"Not a lot. I got recruited by the government. I guess that's about it." He could tell she wanted to hear more, but left it at that.

"Oh, come on! I know there's more to it than that." Before she had the chance to press him for more information, there waitress arrived with a basket of rolls.

"What can I get you?" Her question was directed at Leon. She hardly noticed Claire was even there, not making eye contact with her as she took her order. When she left, Claire let out a much suppressed sigh.

"How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

Claire sat quietly, lost in her own thoughts. "Act like nothing happened. I mean, the Raccoon incident changed me. I just can't seem to find myself anymore." Her eyes were glazed over, saddened by the memories of the past. Leon surprised her by placing his hands on her cheeks. They were warm and strong, forcing her eyes to meet his.

"I try to look forward instead of back. The future is much more important to me right now, and I'm doing my best to defend it." He held her gaze a moment longer before letting her go. The moment he laid his hands on the table, she took them in hers; holding them in a tight grip.

"I don't know if I ever told you this, but I don't know what I would have done if you weren't with me in Raccoon City." She went silent, giving Leon the chance to talk.

"You would have probably survived, because that's what you are; a survivor. Now, I'm not saying you would have done it with as much style without me, but you would have been fine." He winked at her.


End file.
